Analytical modeling of temperature distribution in an anisotropic cylinder with circumferentially-varying convective heat transfer

Abstract

Fluid flow past a cylinder is a classical problem of fluid mechanics and convective heat transfer. In this problem, the local convective heat transfer coefficient on the cylinder surface varies around the cylinder due to boundary layer growth, separation and transition to turbulence. While there is considerable literature on computing the temperature distribution in the fluid, not much work exists on computing the temperature distribution within the solid body, particularly if the solid has anisotropic thermal properties. This paper presents an analytical technique for computing the temperature distribution within a heat-generating cylinder with anisotropic thermal conductivity subjected to spatially varying convective heat transfer coefficient due to fluid flow. As expected, temperature distribution on the cylinder surface exhibits minima and maxima at locations where the convective heat transfer coefficient has maxima and minima respectively. The effect of various parameters, including Reynolds number of the flow and extent of anisotropy are examined. Results presented in this paper contribute towards the fundamental understanding of a classical heat transfer problem . Further, since Li-ion cells that are commonly used for energy conversion and storage exhibit strong thermal conduction anisotropy, these results may be useful for design of convection-based thermal management of Li-ion cells.